


lying close to you

by nouies



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Meet-Cute, for like two seconds, implied alcohol, it's just the two of them being in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-23 01:10:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20883692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nouies/pseuds/nouies
Summary: Harry's been living for twenty-five years but he's only felt alive for the past two.





	lying close to you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [allwaswell16](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allwaswell16/gifts).

> happy birthday Anitra! i admire you so much. i hope this new year treats you well. love you, friend!
> 
> this is a short work but i have a lot of people to thank for their help:  
[Fer](http://babeharrie.tumblr.com), who not only edited the story for me but also wrote a tiny bit of it. you're amazing! i'm glad i met you.  
[Karen](http://oopstyles.tumblr.com), who was the first to read the story and encouraged me to keep writing. love you.  
S, my sunshine. you're my biggest cheerleader as i am yours. ilysmh!  
the manip i used in the tumblr post is by [Mira](http://flickerof.tumblr.com). thanks for your permission!
> 
> inspiration and title from "i don't want to miss a thing" by aerosmith.

Harry's been living for twenty-five years. Twenty five years filled with experiences, adventures, memories --both happy and sad (and some of them super sad). Harry's been living for twenty-five years but he’s only felt alive for the past two. That thought used to scare the hell out of him, but now he embraces it.

Harry lies beside an asleep Louis, and listens to his breathing, as his boy is still dreaming. He stares at his face and catches a movement behind Louis’s eyelids, and he can’t help but remember the day he saw those blue eyes for the first time. 

_1st of September, 2017._

That day, Harry had had a particularly bad time at work, so that night he had decided to stay at home, watch rubbish telly, and drown in ice cream. 

The only problem was that he had run out of it, and he had to make a short visit to the store around his building. He prayed they would have his go-to flavour. 

When Harry made it to the freezers, the only flavour left was vanilla and not mint chocolate, which was the one he was looking for. He sighed and settled for that one. He was used to things not going his way. 

While he lurked on another aisle, looking for something else to satisfy his craving, he saw a tub of his favourite ice cream in the possession of the man across from him.

Harry didn’t realise he had been staring at the man’s basket until the latter made a sound of acknowledgement. 

“Sorry. Can I help you, mate?” the man asked.

Harry jerked his head up at the sound of the man’s voice. Blue, soft eyes behind thin glasses stared at him, with a bit of confusion and, Harry dared to say, endearment. 

The man spoke a bit louder, “All right over there?” 

“Y-yeah, yeah,” Harry said, gathering his thoughts. “Was that the last tub of mint chocolate?” 

“I'm sorry, what?” 

“Sorry, sorry. Oh god, I didn't mean to sound rude. Sorry, I’m really tired. Please forget I said anything,” Harry looked anywhere but in the man’s direction. A tough task since the man’s gaze remained on him. 

“No, it’s just-” the man cut himself off, and waited until Harry faced him again to continue. “I wasn't expecting that at all. But to answer your question, yes, it was the last one. Did- did you want it or?” 

“Me? No.” Harry shook his head. “I mean- yeah. But it’s okay.” 

Without missing a beat, the man grabbed the ice cream container and put it in Harry’s basket. Before he walked to another aisle, he winked at Harry. 

_Two weeks later._

Harry’s head was pounding. He hadn’t had this much booze since his teenage days, and the night was still young, according to Niall. That was what happened when you celebrated an Irish person’s birthday, he mused. 

The pub was almost at its fullest, and he felt overwhelmed after having only been there for half an hour. He went to the loo to splash some water on his face, and on his way towards the sinks, he noticed him. The man of the mint chocolate ice cream. 

He looked quite distressed, staring at himself in front of the mirror. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” Harry said and immediately cringed at his choice of words. 

“Oh, it’s you. Hi,” Ice Cream Man said with a sincere smile, before he continued to scrub his shirt on the sink. 

Harry got closer to the man and noticed again his piercing blue eyes. He pointed to a large stain on the other’s chest that looked like liquor. “Do you need any help?” 

Gorgeous Eyes sighed and shook his head. “No, I- I think it’s pointless. I've been here for almost an hour, so I guess I'll call it a night and go home.”

Harry frowned. The man continued, “It’s quite uncomfortable to go around like this,” he signaled his torso. 

"Why don't you take my shirt?" Harry said already unbuttoning his blue hawaiian shirt, revealing a printed white tee underneath it. "I'm still grateful for what you’ve done for me at the grocery store a couple weeks ago."

“Wow," Louis said. "Thank you…um”

“Harry. My name is Harry.”

“Thanks Harry, I’m Louis.”

_Present._

Harry looks down again at Louis, and admires his lips. They remind him of their first date, how he got to kiss them for the first time. 

_28th September, 2017._

“What if it’s too much?” Harry said. 

“From what you’ve told me, he’s quite fond of you already, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, love.” His mum replied. 

And sure, Louis and him had been texting back and forth for days, weeks, after they exchanged numbers at the pub but still. 

Harry had figured everything out for their first date: they would have a nice and quiet picnic at a park, he would prepare all the food himself, and he would bring a surprise treat for Louis. And though he had planned it for a Sunday morning, he had had to settle for a Thursday afternoon, since it was the only day Louis was free that week, and so a picnic didn’t sound so appealing now. 

“I just want this to work out, Mum, I have a good feeling about this one,” Harry said. 

“If it’s meant to be, it will be. Just enjoy your date and be your charming self,” his mum advised. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

“You should’ve seen it! The whole auditorium was standing! That was the moment I knew I wanted to do this my whole life, but I never thought it would involve children. Oh god, I’ve got quite a story for you…” 

Much to Harry’s relief, the picnic idea had turned out great. They’d been talking nonstop, sharing bits of their daily life and their professions. Harry told Louis about his small bakery, and how his family helped him get it up and running. And Louis told him a story about a backstage disaster, since he was a drama teacher in a secondary school. 

Harry listened attentively to Louis, he admired how passionate he was about his job and his students. 

“Am I boring you?,” Louis pouted.

“No, no, on the contrary. I really like how proud you are of your students,” Harry clarified. “I still remember the teachers who believed in me, and encouraged me to follow my dreams, so I'm sure in a couple of years, your kids will think the same of you”. 

Louis blushed, and Harry felt brave enough to take Louis’s hand. 

“I almost forgot, I brought you a little treat,” with his free hand he rummaged into the picnic basket. “Ta-da!” 

Louis burst out laughing. Harry thought his laughter was beautiful. “I can’t believe you brought this. How sweet of you… literally,” he said. Harry handed him a spoon so they could dig into the mint chocolate ice cream tub. 

_Present._

Louis remains asleep, his face lax with a hint of a smile. Harry thinks of the day he promised himself he would only make Louis smile, and the day he broke that promise. 

_19th December, 2017._

Harry was excited about his day. It had been a couple of weeks since he had last hung out with Louis, with him being busy with a Christmas musical, so he decided to surprise him at school and make the best of the few days they had left before both of them went back home for the holidays. 

It was the third time Harry visited Louis’ workplace, the first one being when he picked Louis up for one of their first dates, and the second one a month ago or so.

He still got lost looking for Louis’ office, but after asking for directions, he went straight away like he was a man on a mission. When he arrived, he noticed the door was ajar and heard voices inside. Getting closer, with no intentions of intruding, he noticed it was Louis on the phone. 

“It’s getting out of control, Lotts.” Louis said. “He won’t take any hint that I’m not interested in him, I’m out of ideas.” 

Harry’s heart began beating fast. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop but now he was more curious about the person Louis was talking about. Could it be? No. No. Louis had been lovely to Harry, and they were on their way to becoming exclusive. It was one of the reasons Harry decided to visit Louis in the first place, to make it official. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I haven’t been blunt enough to stop his advances. Next time he asks me out, I’ll go straight to the point and tell him-”

“No.” Harry barged into the room. “You don’t have to wait that long. I got the message,” Harry walked out of the place as fast as his legs let him, jaw clenched tight. 

He couldn’t believe he had been so naïve. He had thought they were going strong. 

Harry didn’t notice he was crying until he felt wetness on his cheeks, and he started wiping the tears away. He had made it to one of the school’s gardens when Louis called his name. He walked faster. 

“Please, Harry, wait!” Louis cried out.

“What can you possibly want, Louis?,” Harry snapped, “Embarrassing me on the phone with your sister wasn’t enough, so you decided to do it in front of your students, too?” 

And, okay, there were only like two people there, not even paying them attention, but Harry couldn’t care less. He felt helpless. 

“No, love, you got it all wrong." Louis said. "Let me explain. And if you still want to leave, I’ll let you go. Just hear me out, please?” 

Harry saw concern in Louis's eyes and sighed. He sat down on a nearby bench and motioned for Louis to sit beside him.

Louis made a sound of relief and explained everything from the beginning: He had gone on a date with some guy named Jason, a few days before he had met Harry for the second time at the pub. He had decided he wouldn’t go out again with that man and hadn't heard from him until a couple weeks ago. The guy kept asking Louis out in spite of Louis telling him he was busy.

“I know I should’ve told him right away I had a boyfriend but we haven’t discussed that yet, and with the musical coming up, the costumes not being ready, I just- I couldn’t think straight,” Louis confessed. “That’s also the reason I didn’t tell you sooner, I’m sorry.” 

“Hey, no,” Harry shook his head, caressing Louis cheek. “I get that you’ve been busy and it probably slipped your mind when we were together. And please don’t blame yourself. You said no, and he kept insisting. He was the one in the wrong, not you.” He retrieved his hand from Louis’ face, and looked at him sincerely. “I’m sorry I eavesdropped and acted like that. I should’ve known it was a misunderstanding.” 

Louis chuckled. “I would’ve probably done the same thing.”

“Just promise me that if we’re really doing this, we’ll communicate better.”

“I promise,” Louis took Harry's hand and entwined their fingers. “So you’re okay with us being boyfriends?” He asked, with a small smirk on his face. 

“Absolutely,” Harry leaned in and brought their mouths together in a sweet kiss. 

_Present. _

Harry brushes Louis’ fringe that he loves so much. Loves how Louis always fixes it when he’s nervous, and how sweaty it gets when they make love. 

_9th February, 2018._

They were cuddled up on Harry’s sofa, watching a random movie on Netflix. They had thought of going out tonight, seeing as they hadn’t been on a date in ages, but it rained earlier so they decided to stay in. 

Harry turned to Louis, about to ask if he wanted more popcorn, when it hit him. 

“I love you.” Harry blurted out.

“What?” Louis chuckled. 

“I love you,” Harry repeated, his body facing Louis. “I- I don’t know if it’s too soon to say it, but that’s how I feel. And I don't expect you to say it back. Um, I just thought I'd tell you, ‘cause we promised to be honest with each other,” he lowered his gaze as he finished speaking. 

He felt a hand lift his head and he met Louis’ eyes. “Babe, I love you too.”

They both leaned their faces, met in the middle and shared a kiss, and then another, and another. After several minutes of making out , Louis began to grind on Harry’s crotch. He did it with intent but in a tender way, too. 

Harry was the first to break apart, “bed?” 

Louis nodded and let himself be carried to the bedroom in Harry’s arms. 

_Present._

Harry watches Louis’ hands as they rest on his chest. And thinks of how strong he feels when they hold each other. How full of love he felt when, while holding hands, they both proposed to one another the night before. 

_5th October, 2019._

They made it to the restaurant right on time. A true wonder since it was a Friday evening and the streets of London seemed fuller than ever. 

He had told Louis the dinner was a belated celebration for the second anniversary of their first date, but in reality it was more than that. Louis didn’t suspect a thing because they made sure to celebrate every milestone in their relationship, so a reservation for an exclusive restaurant seemed normal. 

Harry had planned proposing for almost seven months now, give or take. He’s been sure Louis is the love of his life for longer, but he wanted to do it at the right moment, in the right way. 

“You look beautiful,” Harry said. 

“You look quite handsome yourself. Hopefully, if I play my cards right, I’ll be taking you home at the end of the evening,” Louis winked. 

Dinner passed without a hitch. They made conversation just like they would at home, asking about each other’s day, and sharing stories about Harry’s customers or Louis’s students. 

When their waitress brought the dessert, it was time Harry made his move. He had a sip of his wine, and called for Louis’s attention. 

“Louis,” Harry cleared his throat. “Lou, my love”. 

“What’s up, darling?” 

“I- I want to talk to you about something”. 

Louis took one last bite of his food and took a hold of Harry’s hand on the table. “Anything, love. Is something wrong?”

“No, no, but it’s quite serious.”

Louis looked at him kindly, “whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“Louis, I love you so much. You’re my best friend, you’re my partner, the compass that guides me through the dark times. Loving you is my biggest accomplishment and I promise you to love you forever if you’ll have me.”

“Harry—“ Louis interrupted when Harry stood up and got on his knee. 

“No, Harold you twat!” Louis gasped. 

“What?”

“Stand up right this second, Harry, or so help me God…”

“Lou, what are you doing?,” he stood up again, confused. Did Louis just reject his proposal? Some people started looking their way, curious as to what was happening. 

“My Hazza, you almost ruin my surprise,” he chuckled before getting on his knee. It was Harry’s turn to gasp. 

“I can’t believe we had the same idea,” Louis sighed. “You say I’m your compass but your my lighthouse, darling. We guide each other and that’s what makes us the dream team. But we’re so much more than that, we’re a family, aren’t we?

“I’d always imagined spending my life with someone who loved me and cared about me, and I got so lucky that I found that in you. The fact that you’re gorgeous is just a bonus.” 

Harry let out a wet laugh at that. 

“I want to love you and be loved by you for the rest of our lives, I want to make our family bigger, I want us to keep supporting each other’s projects, I just… I want everything with you. Will you marry me?”

“Of course, you idiot!” Harry helped Louis stand up and hugged him tightly. “I proposed as well!” 

“Just checking, love,” Louis mumbled against Harry’s mouth before kissing him. 

Everybody in the restaurant applauded. 

_Present._

Louis blinks his eyes awake, and with a raspy but still sweet voice, says hi to Harry. 

Harry says hi back and kisses him. 

"Were you staring at me while I was asleep, you creep?" Louis asks fondly.

Harry shrugs, unashamed. "Maybe." 

"You're so weird," Louis laughs.

"Heeeey," Harry complains. "You can't call your fiancé weird, that's against the rules."

Louis rolls his eyes and opens his mouth about to retort so Harry kisses him to shush him.

"I love you," Harry whispers against his lips.

Louis sighs, cheeks pink and mouth curling up. "I love you, too. My _fiancé_."

Harry smiles. He can't wait to spend the rest of his life with Louis.

**Author's Note:**

> please go wish Anitra a very happy birthday.
> 
> I do not allow translations or publications of this work on any other site.


End file.
